"A family residing in north London is looking for an remarkable and qualified instructor to support their most junior child on his first steps to turning into an British gentleman."
Upon seeing this listing, you might easily overlook the wording "beginning" as mere figurative language.
But, it might be the most significant part of this unique position posting, as it seeks to hire a teacher for a one-year-old.
Numerous of applications have now been received since the unnamed family posted their search for the highly paid tutor, who must be "an exceptional individual".
Over the last few weeks, the post has attracted interest in the press, with many asking why?
Forward-Thinking Method
The CEO, CEO and founder of a global tutoring firm, which is supporting the family in their quest, explained that despite initial skepticism, he viewed the concept "visionary", and "advanced".
When he met the family, he said they recognized the unusual nature of their demand, and how immature their son is.
However, they clarified that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had waited until their elder sibling was five, and by that stage "cultural bias had already become established".
What exactly does the family indicate by "cultural predisposition"?
It's "all-encompassing", the expert answered. "The way you eat, how you speak".
He explained the older sibling had picked up "really subtle, unspoken signals" from the family, and had adopted their cultural habits. The family explained to Adam they wished to avoid this pattern to happen again with their younger child.
The intention: To bring in a UK tutor, who must speak with Received Pronunciation, to shape the baby right from the beginning.
Osmotic Learning
"A lot of the learning at the beginning here is kind of osmotic," explained the expert.
It's via this natural absorption that the family are expecting the child will adopt the English characteristics they want to cultivate.
Adam said the tutor needed to be an individual who studied at "prestigious academies – similar types of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".
"The tutor just has to be the appropriate candidate, they'll be doing things they don't even know they're doing, simply by nature," he commented.
Expense Not a Factor
The family told Adam the chosen tutor should ideally also have understanding of or enthusiasm in riding, winter sports, artistic pursuits and instrumental training so as to shape the child in a wide range of passions.
Furthermore though, he said the family hoped the tutor to enrol the child on a selection of classes so the child would be "pony-riding and learning an instrument by the time they are approximately three years old".
In the family's view, assisting their son grow into a "UK sophisticate" will result in achievement and provide access.
"Taking into account the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's undoubtedly a social class indicator," he comments.
Yet, in spite of all this instruction in "UK identity", could the child adopt so-called cultural leaning from the multicultural family he lives with in any case?
"Certainly", said the CEO. "The parents know this could fail, but they've merely embraced the perspective of, 'let's give it a go and let's go as early as we can', because the cost of it is not a concern," he said.
Idealistic and Unrealistic
Several in the private teaching field who share those reservations.
Peter Cui, head and founder of Blue Education, who supplies individual instructors, stated that "the journey of adopting dual cultures, or in fact, discovering oneself, is something that must be lived into, not manufactured."
Peter explained that he had relocated from Asia to the Britain at the time of seven, and had been brought up understanding and practicing two backgrounds. He went on to learn at the University of Cambridge.
"The notion that an individual can serve as a representation of English culture, someone who can somehow impart the qualities of a English gentleman onto a infant child, seems to me optimistic and impractical," he commented.
"Based on my background, having a quintessentially British tutor from babyhood will does not instantly create the result they desire.
"I wasn't provided with that kind of mentor, and nevertheless I have been lucky enough to enjoy numerous of the experiences they hope for their son."
He added: "The fact is, cultural identity cannot be dictated from the external environment; it must be selected, and it must come from within."
Buying Britishness
Naturally, UK identity is something the expert hopes can be educated – and commercialized.
"In my view the fact that the world holds us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating
